The Blood Of Olympus
by Blondie B. Happy
Summary: The Giants have risen once again, and now Gaea needs the blood of Olympus in order to reawaken from Tartarus. Percy must protect his friend at any cost. Reyna needs to bring peace between the Greeks and Romans. Leo has been having dreams of a strange goddess veiled in shadows, who warns of the betrayal of his friends. Everyone has something to lose. . . Who will survive in the end?
1. Chapter 1: Percy

**So, I'm back again. I finished the House of Hades last night. Holy wow, it was amazing! Here's my version of the next book!**

**Sorry about OOCness and Typos!**

**Happy Reading!**

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The Blood of Olympus

Chapter One

Percy

Percy had been asleep for only the briefest moment when the alarm bells sounded.

His muscles ached, he had lost weight, there were dark circles under his eyes, and there were scars that would not be healed. Not all of them were visible; in fact, most of them were internal. It would be a long time before Percy would be able to think about his time in Tartarus without. . . well. . .

He just tried not to think about it.

Percy didn't even think about putting on clothes. He jumped out of bed, wearing his pajama bottoms and old Camp Half-Blood shirt, and bolted for the stairs. A wave of vertigo hit him, however, and he nearly fainted on the ground. Some demigod he was.

For a second he leaned against the wall, with his eyes closed, and gathered his breath. But as he stared into the darkness of his eyelids, he was hit by something other than vertigo. The image of Nyx, lined up in front of him, with Eris and Geras and all of the others monsters. The chasm the led into Chaos was still there, and Annabeth—

_Shut up!_ Percy told his mind.

_Make me!_ It retorted.

Sighing, he pushed himself off of the wall and headed up to the deck. He reached into his pocket and yanked out Riptide, already expecting the worst to happen. The ship was probably under attack and they needed to get up and fight whatever was up there. Wonderful. Great. Yeah, Percy could fight. It seemed like that was all he did. Well, that or get poisoned by evil hags that lived in—

_I won't be silenced_! Cackled his mind.

"Yeah, you and a few other people," Percy muttered, then checked himself. Talking to yourself was a sure sign of insanity, right?

But as he reached the deck, he was a bit let down and relieved at the same time. There wasn't a monster in sight. The Argo II looked as normal as it usually did, all the oars rowing at the same time, a few stains on the deck from recent battles. He quickly looked over the side of the ship down below. Nope, everything seemed in order.

No one was keeping watch tonight. Everyone needed their rest. Ever since the Doors had been closed, they'd seen a lack of monsters. Of course, it wasn't going to be that way for long. Percy didn't doubt that. But if the monsters had decided to take a vacation, he was definitely not going to stop them. Enjoy Disney World.

He shut the alarm off and went to find Leo, who seemed to never sleep and always stay up, running the ship.

Percy found Leo asleep, of course.

Well, he couldn't really blame the guy. They'd all been through hell and back—literally for Percy and Annabeth. They could never get enough sleep, especially with the overload of nightmares every night.

Fourteen days until Gaea rose and destroyed the world. On August first she would rise and all of her little big kids, the Giants, would kill everyone and let all of the monsters roam the earth. All Percy wanted to do was go back to New York, go back to Camp Half-Blood, even go back to school.

That's how homesick he was.

He walked over to Leo and noticed that he was asleep on the alarm button, Wii controllers in his hands. He was snoring like a horse and his dark hair was burnt along the edges, still smoldering, as if he had a habit of catching on fire in his sleep.

Most likely, he was having nightmares too, and he was going all Fire Lord Leo on the enemies. Good for him, but really bad for the ship. The last thing they needed was the ship to be burned down.

"Dude, wake up," Percy said, nudging him. Leo jumped straight up out of his chair.

The ship lurched to the side, and Percy grabbed onto Leo, who grabbed onto his seat, as their world was turned sideways. "LEO!" Percy shouted. "DO SOMETHING!"

Quickly, Leo pointed the remote straight up in the air, and the ship righted itself. Percy stumbled and fell onto the ground, his hands barely catching his fall. Leo blinked and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, which were red rimmed like he had been crying in his sleep. Yawning, he stretched out in his seat and gazed at Percy.

"Is something wrong?" he murmured, scratching his head.

"Besides the ship capsizing?" Percy asked. Leo flushed. "You fell asleep on the alarm button. I thought the ship was being attacked."

"Well, clearly, everything is a-okay. Now, if you'll excuse me. . ." Leo snuggled back down into his hard seat and closed his eyes once more.

Part of Percy wanted to say something to him, telling him that he needed to stay awake, pay more attention to things. He stared at Leo for just a moment, contemplating what he should do, and then Leo cracked one eye open.

"I'm flattered and all, Percy, but please quit staring." Leo cracked his neck. "And I know what you're thinking. I should be watching the ship, keeping an eye out for flying rocks and evil kleptomaniac dwarves. Don't worry, my Spidey-Senses are top notch."

Percy didn't understand the kleptomaniac dwarves part, but he decided it's be better to ask another day. "Are you okay?" he wondered instead.

Suddenly, Leo's expression became very sad and guarded, but thoughtful too, as if he were thinking about something he had lost. "No," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "But it doesn't matter right now."

"You want to talk about it?"

Leo's face glanced up at Percy, and he could've sworn he'd seen a flash of resentment in his gaze, like his troubles had something to do with Percy. Before he could say anything about that, though, Leo simply said, "No," and closed his eyes once more, feigning sleep. This time, as Percy stared, Leo didn't do anything. Then Percy found out that he was already asleep.

Percy walked away and found all of the others awake on the top deck, giving each other confused looks as if wondering what was going on and who was trying to kill them.

"What happened?" Piper asked groggily. Jason had an arm around her waist protectively. Frank and Hazel were standing side by side with confused expressions. Percy realized that Annabeth wasn't up there. He wondered why and decided to go check on her once everything was sorted out.

"Nothing," Percy answered. "Everything's fine. You all can go back to bed."

They all had skeptical expressions, but the idea of sleep was all the more welcome. Grumbling _goodnight_ to one another, they went back down into their bedrooms.

With nothing else to keep him tethered to the deck, Percy followed behind but didn't go to his own room. Instead, he went to Annabeth's and knocked on the partially closed door. There wasn't an answer for a few moments, so he knocked again. And this time, he heard Annabeth cry out.

Stepping inside the room with a flash of terror in his stomach. He imagined the worst; a monster already in there, Annabeth already dead, and he not being able to do anything but stare in horror.

Annabeth was alone, but she was writhing on her bed, the sheets down on the ground. She was trashing and flailing at some invisible thing, periodically yelling or letting out a sob, like she was in the worst of pain or facing the worst task.

"Please, no," she begged with tears racing down her cheeks, her hair matted with sweat.

"Annabeth," Percy said softly, not wanting to scare her.

"Please," she pleaded again. "Not Percy. . ."

Percy stopped. He was struck with the memory of the curse that Calypso has supposedly made. When Annabeth had killed that _arai_, she had been filled with despair, calling out Percy's name and unable to find him, even though he had been right next to her.

He sat down on the bed next to her and grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers together and giving a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry," he murmured. "I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you."

Annabeth was jolted from the slumber, sitting straight up, her chest rising and falling as if she had just completed a marathon. Tears still streamed down her face and soaked her ratty shirt. When she saw Percy, the tears just started to come down even harder, and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, pressing her head into his shoulder.

"You're alive," she breathed hoarsely. Percy didn't know how to respond.

He hated seeing her like this. He knew that Annabeth hated crying and feeling weak, but it wasn't like she could help it. She'd been through Tartarus too and faced the same horrors, some even worse than his own. She'd fought Arachne. She'd gone blind. It was a wonder she wasn't more damaged, but like Percy, many of her scars were internal.

"You. . . you were dead," she whispered, sounding broken inside.

"I'm fine," he reassured her, but the fire he felt inside of him mimicked the feeling of drinking from the Phlegethon. "I'm right here." He smoothed her hair down.

Within a few minutes, Annabeth had settled down and was still nestled in his arms. Percy gulped nervously, looking at the door, afraid that their crazy chaperone, Coach Hedge, was going to come bursting in with his baseball bat singing the Power Ranger's theme song.

Then he remembered that Coach Hedge was gone, with Nico and Reyna, trying to get back to Camp Half-Blood to stop the war between the Greeks and the Romans by using the Athena Parthenos. How that was supposed to work, Percy didn't know, but he hoped that they were okay. He wouldn't be able to stand it if any of them were killed, and he had no way of knowing how they were.

Annabeth was breathing deeply. She was already asleep again, this time soundly. Percy leaned down and kissed her forehead. He wanted nothing more than to erase all of the memories of Tartarus for her, to give her peace and heal the wounds. But Percy wouldn't be able to do that.

Though he certainly would try. He hugged Annabeth to his side tighter.

"I won't let you go," he told her, even though she couldn't hear him. "I promise."

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**Hope you enjoyed chapter one! Chapter two will be up soon with any luck. Who do you want for the other POV's? **

**Reviews are most loved and appreciated. **

**-BBH**


	2. Chapter 2: Percy

**Thanks for all of the incredible support! Sorry for the typos and OOCness that you may find!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 2

Percy

The moment Percy's eyes closed, he was lulled to sleep. With the combination of Annabeth curled up against his side, the gentle rocking of the boat, and the chaos from the last few weeks, he was completely exhausted.

He found himself standing in Tartarus with Small Bob at his heels. Bob the Titan was there too, but he was farther away, hidden by the shadows created by nothingness. He didn't recognize the part of Tartarus he was at, but it wasn't like he'd traveled throughout the entire area. For all he knew, Tartarus could be the size of the United States.

Percy turned to the side and saw Annabeth on the ground, gazing upwards but not directly at him. Her face was covered in boils as if she'd never drank from the Phlegethon. Her air was coming it short gasps and her back arched in pain.

"Percy. . ." she groaned, reaching in the air by finding nothing. Her hand fell back to the ground in defeat.

He shot forward to do something, anything to save her from the pain she was going through, but by doing so his own arm passed across his face.

It too was covered in bruises and scars, the cuts bubbling pus along his veins. Percy screamed in shock, though he was unable to feel any sort of pain for once. Small Bob let loose a tiny growl and stood up on all fours, his tail going straight up to show that something bad was going to happen.

Percy tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths, but it was as if his lungs were filled with cement. Coughing only made everything worse. He heard the hisses of monsters that were obviously close to him, but he couldn't see anything. The darkness was getting deeper and closer to him, almost suffocating.

"Percy!" Bob yelled. "Percy! Annabeth! Small Bob! Where are you?"

Small Bob meowed and bounded off, presumably to find Bob. Percy wanted to follow behind, but he couldn't leave Annabeth on the ground. Besides, the kitten was too fast and soon disappeared into the darkness too.

"PERCY!" Annabeth was screaming her head off.

He looked down to find Annabeth, and he moved closer to her body. The closer he got, the more he saw her eyes. They were pure white. She was blind again, still reaching out towards nothing, searching for him.

He knelt down next to her. "Don't worry, I'm right here."

"Percy," she moaned, blood trickling from the side of her mouth. The pores on her face popped.

"I'm here," he insisted, gripping her hand.

"Percy. . ." she cried out, and Percy's heart cracked. The darkness was closing in all around them. He could barely see her anymore. Bob was not longer yelling his name, or if he was Percy couldn't hear him. The growls of monsters called from the distance.

They needed to move, because they were going to be killed if they didn't run soon.

"Annabeth, it's okay. I'm not going to leave you ever again." But as he said this, he felt a sharp sting against his neck. He reached up and touched his neck and when he looked at his fingers, they were coated in crimson. There was a churning in his stomach like had just tried one of the lunch room's enchiladas that only Grover enjoyed.

The little stings spread throughout his entire body, causing him to convulse and shake like a Salsa dancer, or someone with an ice cube down their shirt. The agony was horrendous and never-ending—was this what Annabeth felt like?—and Percy could only hope that it would end.

"Stop," Annabeth begged, her hands curling into fists and pummeling the ground.

"Stop," he agreed.

"PERCY!"

Percy sat up ramrod straight, breathing heavily, still feeling the pain on his neck and down his back. His body was shaking like he was cold, when he was actually drenched with sweat. His throat felt sore, so he had no doubt been snoring, probably drooling too. His body felt stiff, and when he tried to roll over he found his path blocked by another body.

What?!

But then he saw the bright blonde hair, and he remembered going into Annabeth's room and comforting her. He'd fallen asleep. It had all been a dream. They weren't actually in Tartarus. No, they had escaped the day before, and now they were trying to sail to Athens.

Annabeth was still asleep, curled against Percy, one of her hands resting over his heart. She tried to get closer. She looked her age in her sleep and completely carefree. The worry lines that had appeared on her face vanished. But he still saw the ghosts of bruises and the scars that would never, ever fade away.

Jason was standing in the doorway, and sunlight was streaming through the windows. What time was it? Were they in Athens? Were monsters attacking the ship? Percy's mind was going in a hundred directions, while his body just yelled, _MORE SLEEP!_

Under normal circumstances, Percy would've been completely red-faced being caught with Annabeth, but after going through all that they had, Percy dared Jason to try and say something to him. It would not end well.

"Uh, Percy," Jason started, his eyes darting nervously between the two of them. Annabeth was still sleeping. He cleared his throat. "We need you on deck ASAP. It's a bit of an emergency."

"What!" Percy asked, already slipping off Annabeth's bed getting ready to kick some monster podex. "How many are there? Is anyone hurt? Has anything happened to the ship."

"No," Jason assured, but he still looked abnormally uneasy. Jason never looked like that and was usually sure of himself. "Er, there aren't any monsters, but there's a god asking for you by name. He says that he's going to crash the ship if he doesn't see you and to not try him because he's not in a joking mood. Leo found that out the hard way."

That was never good. When a god wanted to see you, that meant something bad was going to happen or that they were going to ask you to go on a quest for them. Neither was great for Percy, but he had to go face this god. It was better for it to be to do something rather than any of his friends. He didn't want them to get hurt. He wouldn't be able to live if one of them died.

"Do you know which god it is?" Percy wondered.

"Not completely, but I have a guess." Jason left it as vague as that, but that uneasiness was spreading like a virus.

"Okay, gimme a second," Percy said. Jason left, and Percy leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. There was no reason to wake her up, and she needed to get her sleep. After stretching and patting his pocket for Riptide as a reassurance, Percy went up on the deck.

Everyone else was already awake, and they were standing starboard on the ship in a tight group. When they saw Percy, they visibly relaxed. Hazel cocked her head to the side and motioned for Percy to step forward. Piper gave him an encouraging nod and urged him towards a mysterious figure.

"Good day for fishing," said a familiar voice.

Percy's stomach dropped and his mouth got ever drier as if he'd swallowed a bucket of sand. Poseidon stood at the bow of the ship, dressed in his casual Bermuda shorts and floral top. His dark hair was a little gray along the edges, as if he were starting to show his age, and he looked as if he hadn't shaved in a long time.

"Dad?"

He glanced quickly at his friends, but they gave him encouraging gestures. Percy realized that they were all scared of Poseidon. Neptune was supposed to be a vicious god, which explained why Jason seemed so uneasy. And even in Greek Mythology, Poseidon hadn't had a good reputation. And his dad was prone to his moments of epic power and creepiness, becoming the all-powerful god people portrayed him.

Poseidon winked at Percy and reeled in his empty line. "The fish never seem to want to bite in the Ionian Sea. I have never understood why." They were still in Epirus? After traveling all night? Percy would have to wonder about that later.

"Dad, why are you here? And why aren't you all schizophrenic like the other gods?"

"I am, as you say, schizophrenic, but I'm gaining more control over my Roman side. He does manage to pop out every once in a while. Anyway, I'm here to see my favorite son, of course," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The sea breeze blew and rustled his black hair, identical to Percy's. The muscles in his arms popped as he cast out the line again.

A surge of anger went through Percy like a tidal wave. Yeah, gods couldn't interfere with quests and demigods, but would it have killed Poseidon to have given them a small bit of help while they had been in Tartarus? Or to have helped all of the others while they had been trying to sail to Epirus?

He hadn't even helped when Percy had had no memory.

He remembered all of the pain of Tartarus. The monsters, the lack of sleep, always watching over your shoulder and wondering which breath would be your last. He remembered all of the curses that he'd received and almost dying a thousand different times, and leaving Bob, Damasen, and Small Bob behind. And Annabeth had. . . he pushed the bad thoughts away once again. He wasn't ready to deal with this.

Percy almost lost control and yelled these things at his father, but he nearly stopped himself. He remembered the time that he had sat on his father's throne and he'd nearly been killed. He didn't want a repeat of that.

"Besides, I needed to make sure that you were alright. Zeus and Athena both said that you were, but I had to see for myself. I know you've been through a lot, and that I'm not always here to give you advice, but please remember that I am always with you, whether physically or in spirit."

That was probably one of the nicest things Poseidon had ever told Percy, but he still wasn't too happy with him. "Sounds like something on a Hallmark card," he retorted, running a hand through his messy hair.

His friends gaped at him. "Uh, Percy. . ." Frank trailed off. He looked shaken, and Hazel was giving him a look as if he had lost his mind.

Poseidon was oblivious. His line tugged and he began to reel in, so fast that Percy couldn't even see his hand moving. But the line came back empty and he cast it out again. "So, I wanted to make sure you were okay. Well, that's not the only reason, because I do have a better one."

"And that is?" Percy asked through gritted teeth.

His friends shot him warning looks, but Percy knew what he was doing. His dad was the King of a Bad Attitude. He could have one too.

Poseidon cocked his head, probably sensing the venom in his words, but didn't address it. He gazed out at the world around them and the water and land. Soon they'd have to go over the land again, and that was Gaea's territory. "The journey to Athens should be short, but you'll use up all of your time getting there. The Earth Mother is prepared to do anything to prevent you all from reaching Athens."

Percy noticed that he said 'Athens' with disgust. It probably had to do with the fact that Athena had become patron goddess of the city instead of Poseidon. That was one of the many reasons they hated each other.

"There's not much I can do, and being here is weakening me. I cannot stay too much longer. There are better places that I need to be."

Great way to make your 'favorite son' feel important.

"I need to give you this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something wrapped in blue tissue paper that had been wetted down. It looked really old, as if he had just remembered an old birthday present that he never gave him. It fit easily into one hand and weighed practically nothing.

"What is this?" Percy wondered, testing it out in his palm but cautious to open it. His mother had always told him to never take things from strangers. It wasn't good to take things from gods either. They usually ended up blowing up in his face and predicting his death.

Poseidon reeled in his line, and then gasped so loudly that the sea roared, and the waves rose twenty feet and Percy and his friends fell backwards.

"Mother Rhea!" he cursed, and for a moment, Poseidon got older. He wore a toga and his beard stretched all the way down to his hips, and his hair was completely gray. He flickered as Neptune for a few moments before switching back into the younger Poseidon.

"This isn't working out Perseus. Just open up the package!"

Percy nodded and carefully folded the pieces of paper backwards as his father had instructed. He arched a brow in confusion.

In his palm was a tiny, plastic toy trident.

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**I may just do a random order of POV's. Is that cool with y'all?**

**Reviews are most appreciated!**

**-BBH**


	3. Chapter 3: Percy

**Sorry for no update, but my 14****th**** birthday was on October 24****th****, so I didn't have time. Sorry for typos/OOCness.**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 3

Percy

Percy wasn't sure whether he should laugh or feel insulted.

The toy trident was made of plastic and looked like something you would get with a Happy Meal, not anything worthy of killing a monster or even holding up as a sign to BACK OFF! Percy couldn't even prick his finger with it, much less destroy monsters.

Or an army of monsters that were lining up in Athens to kill them all.

Or even Gaea sadly.

Percy just kind of stood there, staring at the trident and trying to decide what to make out of it. Everything was silent except for the gentle hum of the boat and the lapping of waves down below. Percy shook his head and blinked, maybe hoping for a trick in the Mist that he wasn't seeing.

Nothing happened though, and then the silence was broken by Leo, who gave out a great laugh. "That's all? Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!" he joked loudly, and his friends quickly chastised him. Poseidon shot Leo a dirty look, as if imagining using him as fish bait. The other's shrank back even farther was the waves rose once more.

That helped add to Percy's embarrassment, his cheeks growing red. He hadn't felt this way since Tyson had been claimed as a son of Poseidon, and he had been confused, wondering if it was a joke being who he was. He scratched his neck awkwardly and looked at his dad.

"Uh. . . thanks?" he tried, because what was he supposed to say? He didn't really want a toy.

Poseidon must've sensed his confusion, because he smiled warmly at his son, and the waves went back down. "You must not understand."

"Nope," Percy agreed honestly.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that!" he admitted, shrugging his shoulders and straightening his floral blue shirt. His beard was a mess.

Percy stared at his dad. "What's the point of giving me a toy trident? To use it as a tooth pick or a weapon against an army of dust bunnies?" That little bit of confusion bubbled into the anger that he had felt earlier. The trident was the symbol of Poseidon, and Percy had seen Poseidon fight with his giant trident before. This dulled epically in comparison.

"I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait and see."

"I hate it when gods evade answers," he mumbled, crossing his arms. "Why can't there ever be a straightforward answer?"

"Because—" Poseidon was cut off as his beard grew again and he changed into a toga. Percy cringed. Neptune was freaking old, covered in wrinkles with a mean look in his eyes that didn't match his father at all. It was actually pretty scary. Percy could understand why the Romans feared Poseidon so much.

Even though this was the second time that Poseidon had changed into Neptune, it didn't make it any less disturbing or weird. And this time he didn't change right back. He kept looking like a stereotypical god, gazing down at Percy from his great height. Even though he looked super old, he was well muscled like he could choke a Fury with his pinky finger.

Percy couldn't help but recoil in shock after a minute, just as his friends were doing. Neptune's frown deepened. There was no joking twinkle in his expression. He was someone you did not want to mess with.

The ship lurched to a stop though they weren't at any sort of port. Leo hadn't done anything. Neptune was doing this. Then the Argo II began to rock from side to side, but not subtly. No, he was leaning and throwing them all from one side to the other. Percy had great bearings, but Hazel looked like she was getting ready to be sick all over the deck.

Annabeth was down below. She had to be awake now. The ship lurched at a forty five degree angle, and then rocked back the other way. Maybe if they were on a small boat this would be fine, but the Argo II was huge.

Percy had seen Titanic. He wasn't about to be Captain Smith.

Neptune seemed oblivious to it, probably because he was still causing it. He regarded Percy coldly. "_Graecus_," he growled, his calloused hands grasping at air. The sea became rougher and a storm began to brew in the sky. Jason wasn't causing that though. It was a sea storm brought on by Neptune.

Lightning flashed and the sea breeze became a harsh, unrelenting wind.

Clearly, this wasn't his father anymore.

Percy remembered Annabeth talking to him a few weeks ago about how she met the Roman counterpart of her mother, Athena. Minerva had been cruel and had pretty much just yelled at her and give her a stupid quest. Now Percy understood what it was like. Neptune was nothing like his father.

His friends looked at him. _What do we do?_ Jason mouthed at Percy, gesturing to his weapon, which was on the other side of the dock. Percy shook his head. If they attacked Neptune, they would surely die. That left two options: reasoning and reverse psychology.

He tried reasoning first.

"Look, Neptune, sir," he tried, putting his hands out. "We aren't trying to do anything bad. We don't want to cause any sort of harm, your. . . greatness?" Yeah, that sounded good. "We just want to get to Athens so that we can stop Gaea from destroying the world. You don't want the world to end, right?"

"Athens," he grumbled, his eyes hardening further. Just like Poseidon, he didn't respond well to the name. All Hades was about to break loose.

"Yes, it's a bad place," Percy said. Hopefully Athena would be able to overlook that comment. "And Gaea is going to gain power there. We have to stop her and it'll be pretty difficult to do so if we're dead. So please, oh great god of the sea, let us pass and leave us alone."

Neptune seemed to consider this but the ship continued to rock. Thunder cracked.

He heard Piper scream and Jason curse. Leo had a conflicted look on his face, not sure of what he was supposed to do. Hazel was just trying to remain upright and Frank was helping her. Annabeth was still below deck, safe for now, but if water started to breach the walls, she'd drown down there.

Hopefully Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge were having better luck than they were.

Percy felt a tugging in his gut, and rather than unleashing the chaos that was building below them, he used his powers to calm the Ionian Sea. It gave him a crazy headache that added onto his list of problems, but the waves receded and the storm began to dissipate. But it wasn't easy. He had to use all of his concentration on it.

Neptune and everyone else faded away and he focused only on the ocean. He felt himself begin to sweat. He really hoped that Neptune wouldn't attack him, because he wouldn't have any sort of defense for that.

But then the sea became calm again and Percy opened his eyes. Poseidon was standing in front of him now, an eyebrow raised.

"What?" Percy demanded a little rudely, rolling his eyes.

He didn't mean for it to come out that way, but he was just sick of everything, especially his father. First his dad never helped him, then mocked him, and then tried to kill everyone, including his own son. Maybe he hadn't been able to control that, but that wasn't the point.

"Nothing," Poseidon said. "Sorry about almost killing you guys and destroying the ship."

The others mumbling little things and Hazel groaned loudly before rushing off downstairs, presumably to find a toilet. Frank rushed off behind her, but Jason, Piper, and Leo stayed, standing side by side, waiting for Poseidon to turn back into Neptune.

"Well, looks like this is my cue to leave," Poseidon said, winking at Percy but it didn't make him feel any warmer.

He realized that he was still clutching the little toy trident in his hand. It was a wonder he hadn't snapped it in half yet.

Poseidon must've read his mind. "Don't lose that," he warned. "You'll need it for when you reach Athens."

"But—"

"Oh, and don't trust anything in these waters. It isn't like the rest of the Mediterranean, even though that isn't much better. But here, everything is worse. More ancient. Not in your control, Perseus. You may've been able to calm me as you had done a minute ago, but that still doesn't mean that stuff can't retaliate against you. Don't try anything fancy."

"What—"

"Stay safe, my son," he whispered, and then dissolved into sand. He was swept away into the wind.

Percy sighed in frustration and banged his hand against the mast. He slipped the stupid little joke into his pocket. He had no idea if it even did anything or how to use it if he could. Poseidon was gone now, back to Olympus or his palace in the sea, far away from there. He'd given Percy a warning, and he couldn't help but wonder what he meant.

He turned to his friends. "You all okay?"

They nodded. "Just a little shaken up," Jason told him.

"I can't see straight," Piper informed them.

"Pardon my French, but I really don't like your dad," Leo said. Percy couldn't help but agree, because right now, he didn't like his dad that much either.

"I'm going to go check on Annabeth," he informed them, and didn't wait for their answer. He went back down below deck to find his girlfriend. He walked into her bedroom and wanted to just fall back asleep, but something was missing.

Annabeth wasn't in bed, and that made Percy's heart stop. Where was she?

He willed himself to not freak out. There was no way Poseidon or Neptune could've kidnapped her, right? His dad didn't hate him that much. Gulping, he left the room and started to search the ship. He didn't tell the others, because he didn't want them to get worked up over nothing.

Once Percy reached the stables, he found Annabeth. She was sitting down on the glass doors, looking below her.

It was quite a sight, like they were in a submarine. Percy could see the bottom of the Ionian sea. The depths were murky though, but even as he thought about how visibility was nearly zero, even for him, he watched a Nereid swim by, and he fought the urge to wave.

Usually they could sense him anywhere, and this one did too. She stopped and looked up, but her eyes were full of malice. When she smiled, she revealed rows of razor sharp teeth, like a shark. She had a dart strapped to her arm, and every which way she swam, the water's seemed to become even dirtier, more sinister.

Soon Percy wasn't even able to find her, and that frightened him. Nereids usually weren't like that. He'd met a few mean ones, of course, but never any that wanted him dead. That was mainly because they were creatures of the sea. . .

. . . But here, in Greece, were they under the control of Gaea? Was she manipulating them, like all of the other gods and monsters?

Percy wouldn't put anything past Gaea. He still wasn't sure what she was capable of in her near-awake state. If she could control all of these monsters while asleep, only the gods knew what she could do while awake, and Percy didn't want to find out.

Poseidon had said that they weren't under his control, after all.

Annabeth still hadn't done anything. Her blonde hair looked limp and her shoulders were slumped down like she was still tired, as if the weight of everything they had been through was settling on her.

Did she know he was here? She had to. Percy wasn't a ballerina. He was making enough noise for her to know he was there.

"Something bad is going to happen," Annabeth said distantly, barely moving her lips. She didn't acknowledge Percy at all, and it almost seemed as if she were talking to herself.

Percy stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, to try and consol her, but she still didn't see him because she was gazing into the depths of the sea. The water was getting darker even though it was daytime and sunlight was streaming through the clouds in the sky. The air in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

And that's when the bay doors beneath them exploded.

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**So. . . I got a Tumblr that you can follow for some updates here and there: ****blondie-b-happy****. The link is on my profile. **

**Reviews are appreciated and loved.**

**-BBH**


	4. Chapter 4: Reyna

**Since the majority of you asked for it. . .**

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Chapter 4

Reyna

Everything started going bad right about five minutes after they left Epirus.

It took five minutes for Nico to successfully shadow-travel them away from the cursed land in Greece. Reyna had never traveled through the shadows before. Not that she had ever planned on doing it in the first place. She gripped the rope tied to the Athena Parthenos as the world around them melted away.

Her last visions were of the Seven of Prophecy. Many years ago, when she lived with her sister on Circe's island, Reyna had had a dream in which she stood at the edge of the woods, and seven faceless beings stood in front of her. Even through the dream, she could tell that they were powerful.

Back then, she'd referred to it as a nightmare. Not much had changed. This—everything that was happening to them now—was a nightmare of epic proportions.

She saw Percy and Annabeth, smiling encouragingly at her. She could help but give a small smile back. Reyna really liked Annabeth. She was a strong girl, much like herself, and that was admirable, especially after going through Tartarus without a weapon. Plus she'd had to keep her boyfriend in line. That was a hard feat.

Of course, Leo was whispering a little to Hazel, who was holding hands with Frank. Reyna resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the thought of him. Frank Zhang was praetor now, the clumsy son of Mars himself. Though he had grown into himself in the few weeks he had been away, she still couldn't believe that he would be her second in command now.

Jason had been the praetor before. He'd given up his spot for Frank. Though it had been essential, she could help but feel the pang in her chest. Jason had given up his spot. He was drifting further and further away.

The Jason she remembered never would've given up his praetor ship. He had wanted that kind of power his entire life. . . or at least for the four years they'd known each other. He wasn't power-obsessed or hungry, like Octavian, but he had always strived for control. He was a true Roman, one that they all looked up to.

And now, he really wasn't.

The Greeks had changed him. He was more relaxed, happier, as if he were at peace with those demons that he refused to tell anyone about. Reyna was glad that Jason seemed better, but she couldn't help but feel that aching bitterness when she saw him kiss his girlfriend, that daughter of Venus named Piper, right in front of her.

Reyna knew better than to feel disappointed that things between the two of them hadn't worked out; it didn't matter right now, considering that the Giants were trying to take over the world and the Greeks and Romans were trying to rip each other's throats out.

But Reyna couldn't help it. She remembered that stupid quest that she and Jason had gone on long ago, and how they'd been to Fort Sumter. Venus had told her to not even have hope of a future with Jason over a cup of tea and a plate of scones. Reyna had left with tears in her eyes, unable to look Jason in the eyes.

She blinked. Best not to think of that now.

Seeing Piper just reminded her of Venus and her failure in the love department. She gritted her teeth and gripped the rope a little tighter. Reyna looked up one last time at the sky, but that was a mistake. It just reminded her of Scipio, her now dead Pegasus. Taking a deep breath, she glanced away from the blood-red sky just as the Athena Parthenos collapsed on the shadow of itself.

Reyna's world was turned upside down and her insides were scrambled together. The world around her was cast into the epitome of darkness. There was no left or right, up or down. Her sense of direction was messed up and she was hit by a wave of vertigo that made her nauseous.

The air was so cold that if it weren't so dark, she would've seen her breath. She shivered, feeling icy little tendrils tickle her spine. She fought the urge to lash out at whatever it was.

And then they were moving, going so fast that the skin of Reyna's face was pulled tight against her facial bones. Her feet didn't even touch the ground—that is, if there was a ground. Things that she couldn't see were making strange noises all around her that gave her goosebumps. Now_, this_ was what nightmares were made of.

The sound of breaking bones.

The crack of a whip against skin.

And worst of all, the blood curdling screams of someone being murdered.

Jeez, she really hoped that Nico knew what he was doing. If something went wrong, would she be stuck here for all eternity? She really hoped not, because this would be worse than the Fields of Punishment.

Before she had left, Percy had pulled her aside to assure her that shadow-travel really wasn't that bad. "It's kind of like a rollercoaster," he'd laughed. "It has its bumpy spots that make you scream bloody murder, but apart from that, it's a freaking good time."

First of all, Reyna had never been on a rollercoaster before, so she had no idea what that felt like. Secondly, she was pretty sure it was nothing like this. She wrapped the rope around her wrist tightly so that she wouldn't be left alone in this strange world. "Please let this end," she found herself whispering like a coward.

And then it did. The dark shadows fell, and Reyna found herself in front of a small eatery in a village. People wandered the streets, chatting with each other excitedly. She had no idea where she was, but she did know one thing: Nico, the faun, and the statue were nowhere to be found, and she was completely alone in whatever part of the world she was.

"Okay, Reyna," she said quietly to herself. "Now is not the time to freak out."

But this wasn't good at all. If she didn't find Nico, she'd never be able to leave this place. If she didn't find the statue, the two camps were bound to destroy themselves. If she didn't find that faun, then there was going to be a mass murder for no good reason in this town, and he'd end up in prison.

She rubbed her forehead and observed her surroundings. Many of the building around her were a light tan color, incredibly ornate, with terracotta roofing. She couldn't see any particular landmarks in the small alleyway she was in. People talked and shopped, but she couldn't pick up on the accent or language, though it seemed very familiar.

"_Ma che diavolo_?" exclaimed a little old lady, who was wearing an apron and sweeping up some dirt off of the ground of her shop. She was five feet away from Reyna, and only about five feet tall, but she held the broom as if it were the deadliest weapon in the world.

Reyna back up. "Um. . ."

Yeah, that totally helped with the situation. The woman's face twisted up, half confused and half mad, as if wondering how in the world she appeared in the middle of her shop and why she was disupting the peace. She was probably also wondering why Reyna was wearing full battle armor and carrying a knife, unless the Mist was covering that up or she didn't care.

Reyn realized that there were no cars. People were walking except for the occasional scooter. Potted plants hung from the patios of the apartments above them. The people in the eatery didn't pay any mind to her as they continued to eat.

"Uh, I don't speak. . . that?" Reyna didn't even sound like herself. She was trying to get over the shadow-traveling, but her entire body seemed to have a sheen of cold on it. She crossed her arms over her chest and side stepped around the old lady, searching for someone familiar.

Or something that would tell her where she was.

She left the shop quickly and began to walk down the street, until she heard a voice yell, "REYNA!"

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Nico running up to her on the street, side stepping people and tripping over his own feet. Reyna wasn't particularly fond of Nico di Angelo. He frightened her, and many things didn't. He was more powerful than most other demigods. His clothes hung on his painfully thin body, and his eyes were almost like black voids, but she was glad that she had his help.

Nico looked frantic. "Where's the Athena Parthenos?"

Reyna scowled. "I was hoping that you would be able to answer that question, considering you're the one who brought us here. Where is here, anyway?"

Nico groaned. "I don't know where the stupid statue is. Things like this happen all the time. Shadow-travel is a fast form of travel, but it's not reliable and usually costly."

She noticed then how tired he looked. His shoulders were sagging down and there were circles under his eyes. He looked as if he hadn't slept in months and was getting ready to drop. He noticed her expression and shrugged. "I'm fine for now. As for where we are. . . well, I know we aren't in America, that's for sure."

Reyna gave him a sour look.

He continued. "I'm pretty positive we're in Italy, because everyone's speaking Italian, and I think we are somewhere in Sicily, but that's all I got."

"That's all?" She didn't try to hide her agitation.

His eyes narrowed. "Yeah, that's all. Don't go blaming me for things that are out of my control." And then he stopped, and she wondered if that had deeper levels of meaning. He hesitated, and then his guard came back up. "Look, we have better things to do than play the blame game."

Reyna couldn't help but agree. He was right. If they didn't find the statue, there was no hope left. Venus would win. Gaea too. It was her responsibility now to make sure that the two camps united rather than collided like they were now. "Okay, so we should split up—"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"We're not splitting up. We've no idea where we are besides Italy, and we'll just get lost. Monsters are definitely around here. I can sense them." She was about to ask how, but he rushed on. "We stick together and search for Coach Hedge and the Athena Parthenos. Hopefully they're together someplace, but we better hurry. You never want to leave Coach alone."

His tone said that it was better not to question him, which was hard. Reyna was used to questioning everything; she had since she was a young girl. It had always annoyed Hylla to death. She warmed to the memory.

So Reyna and Nico set off through the busy streets, past small little vendors selling fresh fruit and purses. She smelled fresh baked bread, and even though she had just eaten, her stomach rumbled. It had to be around seven or eight o'clock, but people still milled around. Some shops had already shut down.

Reyna spied two boys her age playing soccer, wearing FIFA jerseys. A group of girls stood a few feet away, clearly gossiping about them. It must've been nice to be separated from all of the drama of the Mythological worlds, Reyna thought. To not have to worry every moment about the monsters or gods, threatening to take your life.

That's what it had been like on Circe's island, but that was just another unwelcome thought.

She gripped the handle of her knife in reassurance. After walking around aimlessly for fifteen minutes, they ended up in a large open square, full of people. Light posts were starting to slowly flicker on in the setting sun. A large statue (not the one they needed) was in the center of the square, and there was a stone-carved elephant in it. It gave her sad thoughts of Hannibal.

There was a grand church too, made with beautiful architecture. Though this wasn't exactly Roman architecture, she couldn't help but remember New Rome. If this quest didn't succeed, there may not even be a New Rome to go back to.

Nico snapped his fingers. "We're in Catania, that's it! I went here once on a trip. This is the _Piazza Duomo,_ the Cathedral Square. So, yeah, I was right we are in Sicily." _Was he from Italy?_ She wondered.

"Congratulations, you're a human GPS," she said sarcastically. "But we still don't know where the Athena Parthenos or the faun is."

"He's a satyr," Nico corrected.

"Same thing!"

"Whatever. We're a twenty minute or so walk from the piers, if you can still go that far. From there, we can back track and watch the area, decide where to go."

"Oh, I can go that far, but can you? You look fatigued," Reyna informed. Nico looked like he could barely stand up straight, much less carry on for twenty minutes walking. He looked like he wanted a nice bed that he could curl up in and fall asleep.

He waved her off. "I'm fine for now. Do you want to go to the pier?"

Reyna thought for a second. If they went there, there was a slim chance that they may be able to find a boat to use for travel, which apparently would be a lot easier than walking or shadow-traveling, but it wouldn't get them any closer to finding what they needed. She shook her head. "No. Let me climb up on one of those roofs. I need an aerial view."

Nico didn't protest. He slumped against the wall like a homeless person. "Find me when you're done." His head hung down like that of a ragdoll. His skin was ghostly pale and sickly.

She nodded and when to one of the ladders next to the shop. The ladder went up on the balconies, and then she would be able to climb the stairs to the roof. Hopefully the apartment owners wouldn't get too mad and she wouldn't draw too much attention.

So she started to climb swiftly, grateful for all of the classes at Camp Jupiter. She used her upper body strength to haul herself up two bars at a time before reaching the first balcony. She knocked the metal guard off and ran up the flights and quick as possible. Upon the third story she jumped. Her fingers hit the edge of the roof top and she fought for a grip. Swinging back and forth, she eventually threw herself onto the very edge of the rood and breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't fallen to her death.

After catching her breath, she stood up and gazed out. Catania seemed huge and vast below her, but that wasn't what caught her eye.

Off in the distance was a mountain, but she had no doubt in her mind that it was Mount Etna, the mountain where the father of all monsters, Typhoeus, had been imprisoned by the gods. This was wear Imperial Gold was forged. Mount Etna was a very historic place, but it was a place of curses.

Nico had been right, she realized. There were monsters here, but more than she could've expected. This was the imprisonment of monsters, the Tartarus on Earth.

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**Wanted a little bit of a Reyna backstory, since we know so little. Oh, gotta go now. Legend of Korra is coming on soon!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved, of course.**

**-BBH**


	5. Chapter 5: Reyna

**Thanks for all of this amazing support:) Love you guys! Sorry for typos/OOCness. Oh, and it's 11/12/13:)**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 5

Reyna

Resisting every instinct that told her to get off of the roof, Reyna stood her ground and continued to search for the Athena Parthenos.

Catania was huge, and from high above, Reyna thought about how everything looked almost exactly the same. The buildings were very close together, and Reyna wondered if anyone even drove. She couldn't see a single car, but she saw people cycling. There was no sign of the statue though. What was she supposed to expect?

When she turned around to look in the opposite direction, she saw the vast Mediterranean sea, the waters a beautiful blue and green. It made her sick. Thanks to the monster of the Mare Nostrum, her Pegasus was dead. She had always thought of those seas being cursed. She had warned the seven that nothing good could come from crossing those seas.

And yet she had followed—out of necessity of course. But everything was coming to a halt now. She was failing this quest at record speed and she was having to befriend those she never would've in a million years.

Reyna didn't trust any of them though. She had to deal with the Coach and Nico, but that didn't mean that she had to trust them. She was going to look after them as best as she could, but she didn't want them to try and help her. She would rather rely on her own instincts, because what if they did something wrong? They'd be on their own, but Reyna would know better than to follow them.

She was a leader, not a follower. Not in the slightest.

Reyna saw the giant yachts and sail boats tethered to the large docks, and she wondered briefly if it would be easier, once they had found the goat and the statue, to just take a boat. Sure, it would be difficult to sail through the waters, but it would be more reliable than trusting Nico's shadow traveling abilities.

Sighing deeply, she faced away from the water, and her jaw dropped.

That giant storm forming over Mount Etna had _not_ been there five minutes ago.

It was like a pop up hurricane. The clouds swirled in a massive storm like formation over the peak of the mountain and lightning crackled and struck the ground below. The entire scene screamed evil and it made Reyna get goosebumps. They had yet to see any monsters, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they found them. Monsters loved demigods.

The beautiful sunset was now being obscured by the thick clouds, and thunder rumbled so loudly that Reyna could've sworn that her body shook. It was as if there was a little miniature earthquake, but when Reyna glanced down below, the people, who looked like they were heading home, all seemed oblivious.

Something else besides the great storm caught her eyes.

From the far side of the city of Catania, a little further up the coast, there were burst of fire and screams from people. There had to be a lot of people screaming for her to be able to hear it from so far away, and if she focused completely on it, she could've sworn she saw people jumping off of the buildings over and over again.

And was there a guy on one of the roofs, waving a . . . baseball bat?

"Well," she said to herself. "I think I found the faun." And wherever the faun was, hopefully the Athena Parthenos was too.

But that fire was worrying her, because it was spreading towards them. Plumes were going up sky high in various section throughout the city. All at once, about forty or so plumes of fire shot up towards the sky, and they were spread out that time.

About a minute later the fires shot out again, but this time they were closer together, like the people causing them were forming a mob. Was this some sort of crazy protest or demonstration?

It wasn't that far away, and Reyna gripped her dagger's hilt. Her muscles were anticipating a fight and she could barely sit down. She loved fighting because it really made her feel alive She liked how her body ached afterwards and she liked how she usually won every fight.

But another part of her dreaded getting in a fight. Scipio had died in the last fight she'd been in. Reyna overall hated the thought of killing something, even though she knew it was necessary. She despised the thought of the casualties that would come from a fight against the Greeks. That's why she needed to fight now.

Everything had a price, she'd learned a long time ago.

Reyna scrambled back to the ground after zeroing in the spot where she assumed the Coach was. Nico was passed out against the wall, snoring a little. He looked scrawny and sickly thin, like he really needed a big plate of meatballs.

The buffet would have to wait.

"Get up!" Reyna commanded, nudging Nico in his side with her foot. Immediately he woke up, jumping to his feet in a fighting stance. He looked all around him, his eyes wild even though they were a little sunken in, like a corpse.

"WHAT?" he half yelled. He was in a bit of a daze and still looked like he wanted to pass out. Then his eyes landed on Reyna and narrowed with little bits of malice in his gaze. Obviously he didn't completely trust her. That was cool, because it was likewise. "What?" he asked, a little calmer this time.

"I think I found the Hedge and the statue," she replied. "Get on your feet. There are some monsters here too that can do some freaky things with fire."

"Fire?" He immediately looked skeptical. "Any idea how many there are."

"Probably forty or more," she informed him, and he gritted his teeth but glanced down at his stygian iron sword that was tethered to his waist. He nodded and they set off to go fight. Whoever these monsters were. . . they were probably with Gaea, and Reyna knew that the Earth Goddess did not want them to get the Athena Parthenos to New York.

What Gaea wanted was the Greeks and Romans to destroy themselves, which would happen if Reyna didn't stop them. They were probably already fighting now, thanks to that idiot Octavian and his stupid war lust.

Part of her wished that she had exiled him from camp last year. Would've made her life a whole lot easier and saved a few.

Reyna walked at a brisk pace and it seemed to her that Nico was struggling to keep up in his half-sleep stupor, but she wasn't going to slow down. She wasn't known for cutting slack. If he needed to he would run, but this wasn't any happy little stroll through Sicily. There were monsters on these streets and an Athena statue that needed saving.

"So, any idea what these monsters are?"

"No, I didn't see what they looked like. And for all we know they would be some tourists that didn't feel like paying their bills."

Nico didn't laugh at Reyna's failed attempt at humor, but she was kind of glad, because she couldn't imagine the kid with a smile on his face. That would be even creepier than the whole son of Hades factor that he was pulling off. "Yeah," he agreed sarcastically. "Probably just some fat old guy with a camera."

As they passed some on-street fruit vendors, Reyna nonchalantly stole an apple to munch on. She cringed as she heard the screams get louder.

"You hear that?" Nico asked miserably. "This isn't good."

"Way to state the obvious," Reyna mumbled, and Nico shot her a look that probably could kill. Reyna knew how to keep her face blank. The Poker Face was her specialty, but Nico di Angelo unnerved her. Somehow she managed to stay calm and collected until Nico went back to staring the streets ahead.

They traveled on in an awkward silence for another minute before Reyna broke it.

"Did you realize that Catania is right next to Mount Etna?" she asked suddenly, taking a bite from the apple.

Nico just stopped walking. Shock rippled across his face and his hands spasmed at his side. He cursed something in Italian so loudly that an elderly couple gaped at them, appalled. "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"How could I have not realized this sooner?" he exclaimed, and anger washed over him. Reyna gasped when she saw an old ribcage pop out of the ground at his feet. "This is where Typhon was imprisoned. This is like the Tartarus of Earth! Catania is probably teeming with monsters, way more than forty. We need to get out of here and find Coach Hedge—"

"Not in that order, of course," Reyna replied coolly.

A skull and some phalanges popped up then too while a muscle twitched in Nico's jaw. Reyna could tell she was treading on dangerous waters. Nico looked like he had many things to say to her, and she was positive that none of them were compliments, but he remained silent and just stared at her. Once again she struggled to remain neutral.

What was it about this kid that set Reyna on edge? She didn't know. Maybe it was just something psychological. She sighed. "You know, let's just carry on. What's the point in fighting? We're stuck with each other for now, and so what that we're practically in the prison of Typhoeus? We have better things to do than wallow in self pity. We're acting like immature brats."

Reyna would've continued, but a loud scream came from down the street, and people began to run away in shock like little lost ants. Those monsters or crazy people must've been close and she was arguing with a demigod that she was supposed to be working with. She threw her apple down.

She didn't wait for Nico. Pulling out her dagger, she started to run towards the cause of the commotion. When she looked up, she could see wisps of flames race of the rooftops and people inside the buildings scream. People rushed to close their windows or shut down their stands.

She could sense Nico at her heels for a minute, but then he wasn't. "REY—" he started to yell, but his voice was cut off and he sounded far away. Reyna stopped and turned around, but Nico di Angelo was gone.

What? "NICO!" she yelled, but there were only screaming Italians, and none of them were Nico. Had he shadow-traveled out? Had he deserted her? Rage, confusion, fear, and a pot full of other emotions swirled through her body. Her mind told her to pick one.

"NICO?" she tried again over the roar of the crowd. The heat of the flames was getting closer.

Reyna didn't have time for this. She had more important things to do than to track down a demigod. She turned around and kept pushing through the masses of people running at her, trying to get away from the fires. Evil cackles filled her ears; oh, these were definitely monsters of some sort. The laughter came at her from all directions.

The monsters were close but she couldn't see them. Coach Hedge had to be near and hopefully the Athena Parthenos was near too. After she had both of them, she'd have to retrace her steps and find Nico, because he was the only way out of Catania.

Problem was that she had no idea where any of them were, and she was completely alone.

Sheathing her knife, she stopped again to decide what to do and where to go, but a hand closed around her neck. Reyna jumped and tried to push away, her arms flailing, but the hand was like a vice, tightening on her throat. She couldn't breathe and she couldn't turn around to see what was holding her there. The hand was calloused and wrinkled but like concrete.

Reyna brandished her knife and jabbed it backwards, hitting the arm of whatever held her. The monster wailed and let go of her, but before Reyna could turn around to finish of the monster, it had lashed out again, his time chopping her hand at the back of her neck. Reyna gasped in pain, but the blow was followed by a strong foot hitting the small of her back, sending her flying forward a few feet and hitting the ground with a thud.

Pain rippled through her head, but Reyna couldn't move. Her eyes shut and she felt multiple people dragging her away from where she was. She tried to fight them but found it to be useless. She cursed herself. Once she had enough strength to lift her head, she looked up at whatever was dragging her.

Reyna's eyes landed on a girl that looked a little older than she was. She had brown hair and a tall curvy body with something that looked like a flamethrower strapped across her back. She stared down at Reyna and gnashed her teeth together, which were pointed and sharp. Reyna recoiled and reached for her weapon that was no longer there.

What kind of monster was this? Was it just a trick of the Mist? Was the smoke giving her hallucinations? That couldn't be possible. There wasn't even a fire in front of her though it was near. There wasn't enough smoke to hurt her.

The girl, the monster, didn't do anything, but a foot connected with her head from behind, and Reyna crumpled again.

She saw stars and then darkness.

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**Inspiration hit a dead end. It hit the fan, then a brick wall, then Tartarus. So, yeah, I have Writer's Block. **

**Reviews/Ideas are LOVED! **

**-BBH**


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